IGCAT Expert from Portugal, Paula Frade will join the jury of the 7th European Young Chef Award, to be held in Le Touquet (France) on 20-24 November 2023.
Paula de Fátima Tourinho Amâncio Alves Frade is Founder and President of OH – Center for Culture and Tradition in Oliveira do Hospital, an association created for the investigation, dissemination and promotion of intangible heritage with the aim to support local producers and add value to local products. Her work aims to raise awareness among communities about the need to work in networks; thus she has helped create associations of small farmers as well as food and craft producers. In this capacity, she represented Coimbra, European Region of Gastronomy 2021 during visits of international gastronomy guests in the region. She has also served as an international jury member for the World Food Gift Challenge 2023 in Kos, South-Aegean.
She is a PhD researcher at the University of Coimbra in Food Heritage, Cultures and Identities, as well as a professional researcher at IELT- Institute for the Study of Literature and Tradition, Heritage, Arts and Cultures- Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, New University of Lisbon. Her research activity is based on intangible cultural heritage and, above all, traditional gastronomy, food heritage, cultures and identities. She investigates, collects and organises literary material including popular poetry, focusing on regional historical-linguistic aspects and connects this to gastronomy storytelling and branding.
She regularly writes in regional newspapers about culture, art and gastronomy, and teaches courses on Food, Heritage and Territory, in collaboration with other researchers from Coimbra University.
She is member of the Scientific Commission for the Gastronomic Charter of Oliveira do Hospital, in Pelouro and a culture and tourism consultant as well as project manager in several municipalities in Portugal, including being member of the Scientific Commission for Guardianus, Digital Museum of Intangible Heritage of Oliveira do Hospital. She has been an IGCAT expert since 2021 on food products, design and storytelling.
About the European Young Chef Award, Paula stated that: “This competition is important for young chefs who will lead gastronomy trends in the future. They value quality local products, storytelling and for that they need small producers close to them. With this award, IGCAT gives visibility to this essential partnership.”
About IGCAT’s European Young Chef Award
The European Young Chef Award is an annual competition organised by the International Institute of Gastronomy, Culture, Art and Tourism (IGCAT) that gathers young culinary talents from the awarded and candidate European Regions of Gastronomy. Selected each year through local contests, finalists to the European Young Chef Award compete by innovating traditional recipes from their regions using local ingredients.
The 7th edition of the European Young Chef Award is organised and promoted by IGCAT and hosted by Hauts-de-France, European Region of Gastronomy awarded 2023. The competition will be held at the Lycée Hôtelier Le Touquet on 20-24 November 2023 and is supported by Hauts-de-France 2023 consortium members: Chambre d’Agriculture Hauts de France; CCI Hauts de France; Chambre des Métiers et de l’Artisanat Hauts de France; Hauts de France Tourisme; Plateforme des Organisme du Tourisme; UMIH Union des Métiers et des Industrie de l’Hôtellerie; UniLaSalle; Programme Investissement Avenir; Caisse des dépôts; GIP Forinval Amiens; Région Académique Hauts de France; and Région Hauts de France.
About the World/European Regions of Gastronomy
World/European Regions of Gastronomy, guided by IGCAT, are working together to strengthen food security through the celebration of distinctive food cultures; create employment by stimulating creativity and gastronomic innovation; nourish children and adults through culinary and cultural education; driving environmental sustainability in tourism, hospitality and agricultural sectors; supporting balance and sustainable tourism practices; highlighting and supporting expertise from within rural and urban communities, creating connections and sharing good practices; and contributing to community health and well-being.
About IGCAT
IGCAT aims to empower local communities by raising awareness of the importance of protecting and promoting distinct regional food, culture, arts and natural assets as part of sustainable and balanced tourism and development strategies. This is essential to safeguarding our planet, health, wellness and local economies.
IGCAT is a non-profit institute established in 2012, working with regional stakeholder consortiums in the fields of gastronomy, culture, arts and tourism. It counts on the expertise of a worldwide network of experts and works in partnership with specialised intergovernmental organisations.
IGCAT founded the World/European Region of Gastronomy Award and is the official secretariat for the World/European Regions of Gastronomy Platforms. Furthermore, the Institute has developed the European Young Chef Award, the World Food Gift Challenge, the Top Websites for Foodie Travelers Award and the international Food Film Menu.